After checkered results in state polls, Malaysian leader Anwar needs to unite polarized nation

By EILEEN NG
Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Analysts say Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces a daunting task in uniting an increasingly polarized nation and strengthening his nascent unity government. The follows a checkered result in Saturday’s state elections that saw strong gains by the Malay-Islamist opposition. Anwar’s multi-coalition unity government and the opposition Perikatan Nasional bloc, which includes a conservative Islamic party, retained control of three states each, as widely expected. While the opposition bloc failed to alter the status quo, it made major inroads on the back of continuous support from the ethnic Malay majority and took 60% of the 245 state assembly seats contested. Despite the setback, analysts said Anwar thwarted a strong opposition campaign to tear down his federal government.